Seahawks should not kick the tires on Todd Gurley

The Seattle Seahawks might need running back help in 2020. But it should not come in the form of recently-released Todd Gurley.

Todd Gurley was once a great running back, potentially a Hall of Fame player. He might still get there one day. But he has been dealing with an arthritic knee that is not going to get better. Todd Gurley might have also gotten a bit used up in his five seasons with the Rams with over 315 touches each between 2016 and 2018.  But he was released by the Rams on Thursday and a potential landing spot for him might be with the Seahawks.

The question is whether the Seahawks should look to sign Todd Gurley as they need running back depth and in a limited role Gurley might be very productive. Or he could be a complete waste of money.

If Todd Gurley were healthy, and he isn’t or the Rams wouldn’t have released him, but if he was, in this Seahawks system Gurley would be an awesome fit. He is a big back, which Pete Carroll loves, at 225 pounds. He runs hard up the middle and can catch passes out of the backfield. Gurley also holds on to the ball well with just 14 fumbles in 1,483 career touches.

But here is the issue. Gurley isn’t healthy and no team knows a player better than the one they have been playing for. Sure, Todd Gurley was headed to make a guaranteed amount of $10.5 million in 2020. That is a lot of money to us average janes and joes, but to an NFL player, it isn’t that much. Los Angeles could have afforded him if they wanted to and if Gurley was healthy.

In 2019, Gurley’s average yards-per-carry fell to 3.8, down a full yard from 2018. His average yards per touch went from 6.1 in 2017 to 5.8 in 2018 to 4.2 in 2019. Gurley simply might be worn out.

The Seahawks are going to have Chris Carson in 2020, of course, and they need a good second back as Rashaad Penny is likely to be out for some time. But bringing in Gurley isn’t the answer. He is older than his years.